Blood seeped from Hawthorne's wound, but his grip on Itoshi's neck tightened with ruthless precision. With his free hand, he lunged forward, aiming to stab Itoshi with the rapier.
Hawthorne's strength and stamina were waning from Itoshi's earlier strike, but he fought to stay conscious.
Hawthorne's senses were razor-sharp — honed through years of service with W.E.S.C.U. He could track a presence even in complete darkness. Never before had he faced someone who could so completely mask themselves.
Yet here was Itoshi, defying all odds.
"What was that?! How did he do it?! He's a Flame User... Fuck, I underestimated this kid"
His consciousness wavered as blood loss drained his strength. Gasping, Hawthorne fumbled to call for backup through his comms. But all he heard was static—no response, no help.
As his enemy slowly fade, Itoshi thought to himself.
"The time I spent with this guy has been too long. Where the hell are his backup?"
Itoshi dropped the fading Hawthorne to the floor and bolted outside, desperate to find Kara.
But what he saw froze him.
A man stood at the doorway—someone he had never seen before. Long black hair, though not as long as Itoshi's, framed a face with strikingly peculiar eyes: The right one burning Red, the left a mysterious Purple.
Clad in a sharply formal outfit, the man's presence was commanding—and Itoshi's first thought was blunt: "It's stupidly hot here, why would you wear that?"
With his guard up, Hand still filled with blood. He spoke to the man.
"Who are you?! Are you one with them?!"
"Koya!!"
Kara shouted as she ran towards him.
Man with peculiar eyes: I was supposed to ask you that question.
Itoshi: I just took their boss down and you think I'm one of them?!
Man with peculiar eyes: Hm, your mouth is quite sarcastic isn't it? Oh well, I suppose I was wrong to assume you were betraying them or something.
Itoshi: What the hell do you want?! Why are you here?!
The man took a deep breath before he quickly introduced himself, Standing straight and precise.
"My Name is Ryujin Eisuke. I work for The United World Defense Society. Right now I'm looking for members fit for the job on my own squad... And you.. You fought that guy and won without unveiling your flame."
"H-How did you know about my flame!?"
Itoshi asked.
"Well.. My peeps from the helicopter told me."
Ryujin calmly replied.
"Recruiting you say?.."
Itoshi asked. He chuckled.
"Sorry, I cannot join you, I don't even know if you can be trusted!"
He added.
Ryujin then shot back.
"I don't need you to trust me, I just need 5 people so I'm gonna be able to rise up with the rankings."
"Tsk! You're just planning take me for a ride?! Don't get cocky!"
Itoshi thought to himself.
"What exactly are you doing with U.W.D.S.?"
He asked, guard still up.
With Itoshi's question, Ryujin smirked.
"Oh, interested, are we? Well, in simple terms — our organization's split into squads. Each squad hunts down seelies."
He paused.
"Every member earns points for every seelie they take down. Those points add up, and the squad's rank rises accordingly."
Itoshi then spoke to his mind.
"This guy's all talk, no proof he's really U.W.D.S... Not even and ID! Just like police officers!"
He paused and looked down, continuing to reorganize his thoughts.
"I've been wanting to join for a while.. but I need someone real to recruit me."
He then looked at Ryujin once more, standing tall and calm.
"I see, Ryoo-jeen. Thanks for the... thorough explanation, but I'm gonna pass. I can't just leave the house I grew up in. Plus, I've never even heard of that points system in U.W.D.S."
He closed the door with Kara behind him, then suddenly remembered Hawthorne lying on the floor.
"Shit... How do I explain this to the authorities?"
He then looked at Kara, Still trembling from what just happened.
Kara flinched as she noticed Itoshi's gaze upon her.. Then suddenly she smiled.
Itoshi eye's widened.. Before he took a deep breath. He reached out his left hand clear with to her head. Patting it softly.
"Stay here.. Kara."
He looked back and saw Ryujin still sitting on the porch.
Itoshi sighed, opened the door again.
"Hey, you."
Ryujin turned his head, one brow raised.
"Wanna help me with this body?"
Itoshi softly asked.
Ryujin calmly pulled out his phone. Itoshi tensed up, eyes narrowing.
"Oh shit—is he gonna snitch? You snitchin' bastard?!"
He thought to himself nervously.
Ryujin (on the phone): Hello? Boss?
Voice over the phone: Yeah? What is it this time?
Ryujin: We got some bogeys. Five unconscious, one stabbed—still breathing. Looks like W.E.S.C.U.'s mess again.
Voice: Where are you now? Don't tell me they stirred up more shit.
Ryujin: Okinawa. Recruiting.
Voice: Alright. We'll handle cleanup.
Ryujin hung up and stood, brushing off his coat.
Ryujin: Happy now? I've got places to be. Come with me or don't.
"I won't thank you till the bodies are gone."
Itoshi kept his expression neutral, but deep down, he was testing him.
As Ryujin walked off, Itoshi watched in silence.
"He actually called it in. Damn... he really got me one, didn't he?"
A few minutes later, a white vehicle pulled up quietly in front of the house. A man in full-body white gear stepped out and he greeted Itoshi, his right hand no longer tainted with Hawthorne's blood.
"Good afternoon, sir. Was Mr. Ryujin here? He sent us for cleanup.. Since he didn't warn us to be cautious, I take it you're trustworthy?"
"Yeah, he was here... Wait. Where exactly are you guys from?"
He replied.
Man in white: United World Defense Society.
Itoshi stared in disbelief. He hadn't expected Ryujin to be a real deal. His gut was still suspicious, but somewhere in his chest, he felt a quiet, reluctant respect.
~~~March 8, 2169~~~
It was a cold morning. Itoshi woke up, his breath forming faint mist in the air. He rubbed his temples—another dream, the same girl.
"Come with him... Change it."
The girl whispered.
"Come with who? That Ryoo-jeen dude? His vibes suck bro. And what am I supposed to change? My socks? My fate? Damn it—Who are you?"
KNOCK KNOCK
"Koya! it's time for breakfast!"
It was Kara, knocking from the outside.
"O-Ok."
Itoshi replied.
Downstairs, the two sat at a small wooden table. The radio crackled in the corner.
"The storm is expected to make landfall in Okinawa in a few hours. Please be advised—coastal flooding is likely. Wind speeds are strong enough to damage or destroy smaller homes. Take all necessary precautions."
"Storm's coming for us, huh?"
Itoshi muttered, opening a conversation.
"Seems like it.."
Kara replied.
"I'll go check the house again once we're done eating. Gotta make sure this place holds up."
They ate in silence for a while, the warm food grounding them in the stillness before the chaos.
This was the house where Mr. and Mrs. Kiyagari raised them. A home built on memory.
Itoshi stepped outside not long after, tools in hand, heart steady.
The sky was already turning gray.
He climbed the roof, checked the fastenings, reinforced the weakest points with whatever scrap materials he had left in the shed—metal brackets, wire, and old but strong nails. Every motion was practiced—from years of being alone, drilled by time.
He worked until his hands ached, but by the time he climbed down, he was satisfied.
"Not perfect. But better than nothing." he thought to himself, wiping his sweat from his forehead.
He walked back inside, Kara was in the living room, staring out the window as the wind began to pick up. Her eyes had that distant look again—the one she had after Hishiki.
Itoshi sat beside her, trying to relaxed his body before Kara asked.
"What do you think's gonna happen, Koya?"
"Not sure. But whatever it is, we'll face it. Like always."
They sat in the living room for a while, listening to the wind whistle through the edges of the windows. The house creaked. The skies darkened.
Neither of them realized that what was coming wasn't just a storm—
—it was a turning point.
To be Continued